Striking Lightning
by spectersanatomy
Summary: Even When Harvey is in pain, at his most vulnerable, he knows that he can count on Donna, and his daughter, to help him feel better. (Post 9x10)


Hi guys! So I'm not really sure what this is, I think it is me feeling sorry for myself (because I'm ill) and wanting to write something where a character was also suffering - sorry Harvey!

Whatever this is - enjoy! :)

(And please send any prompts, I am stuck in bed and bored out of my mind!)

* * *

It would be fair to say that Harvey should not have come into work that day. He shouldn't even be out of bed, let alone standing in a court room, about to present an argument to a judge and jury. He can't remember ever having been in a brighter, louder room in his life, and he was sure that that feeling wasn't going to stop anytime soon.

He knew he wasn't in any real trouble until the nausea kicked in, that was usually how his migraines progressed, and this one wasn't any different. About halfway through opposing council's cross examination, he felt an all too familiar feeling in his stomach. It began to grow tighter and heavier as he tried to breathe in and out slowly. The only way he could seem to alleviate it slightly was to rest his elbows on the desk and rest his throbbing head in his hands, shutting his eyes to keep out the light that was burning his retinas and sending sparks of lightning through his skull.

Mike knew Harvey too well, and had recognised from the first wince what was going on. He had watched as the trial had progressed, wondering what on earth he could do to help the man. He noticed the way he pressed his thumb just under his eyebrow to try and relieve some of the pressure, or the way he inhaled sharply whenever anyone raised their voice even slightly. He had even noted the grey-ish tint to his skin and his subdued demeanour as soon as they had seen each other that morning.

Softly, Mike slid a glass of cool water over to Harvey, and watched as he carefully took a sip, waiting to see how it settled before continuing to drink it.

How on earth Harvey managed to get through the rest of the session, he wasn't sure, but the next thing he knew, they were sat in silence and Mike was in the distance in front of him, finishing up a phone conversation before heading over to Harvey and offering him a hand up.

"I called Donna, told her you're going home. She said she'll be back when she can, okay?"

Harvey would once have argued with the young man, but with the state he was currently in, he honestly could not have cared less about the reputation he had built up over the years. He was more concerned with getting back home, climbing into bed, and sleeping until he could think without his head threatening to explode.

He allowed Mike to help him out of the building, a sheen of sweat building up on his forehead as he tried his very best to place one foot in front of the other and stay upright. He wasn't sure how much of his weight the other man was holding up, but he was sure it was more than would be fair, and he was eternally grateful that there wasn't a single complaint or implication that it was too much.

"Thank you." Harvey eventually said as he climbed into his car and placed some sunglasses over his eyes. "Oh, could you ask her to – "

Before he could finish Mike had already started to respond.

"Already sorted, so you have nothing to worry about – go home and get better."

Before he closed the door, he added, "You sure you're okay to drive? I can call you a cab?"

Harvey smiled and replied, "I'd rather drive. No one in Seattle will ever live up to Ray's standards and I just want to get back."

"Okay, but text me when you get home, or Donna will kill me!"

And with that, the man drove off, being sure to go carefully and take his time – which was against his nature in more ways than one! Back in New York he used to love driving around the city, but there was something he rather liked about the quieter roads out here.

* * *

When he eventually got home, he just dumped everything on the counter and headed straight for the bathroom, where he lifted up the seat and let his stomach expel anything and everything inside it, hoping that it would relieve some of the throbbing in his head, but he knew there was a slim chance of that. Once he could stand up without feeling like he was immediately going to collapse, he peeled off his suit and changed into the pyjamas that he had left screwed up on the duvet that morning. Donna would crucify him if she found out about that. Well, probably not in his current state, but any other day, he would be a dead man.

Before collapsing into his bed to go to sleep, he pulled out his phone and sent a quick message to Mike, wincing at the brightness of the screen, and then tossed it aside, not even waiting for a response before he climbed under the covers and waited for his mind to switch off.

He didn't wake for a few hours, or at least that's how long he thinks it was, because the next time he opened his eyes, he was greeted by a gentle stoking motion on his face and dim lights, which he was sure he didn't remember doing.

* * *

"Hey, how you feeling?" Donna whispered, being sure to mind her volume and keep her voice as quiet as possible.

"Not great, but I'm glad you're here."

She took a second to let him adjust before continuing, "Did you take a pill, I have one here?"

Thinking back, that would have been a good idea, but he was so dizzy and so ready to fall asleep, that he hadn't even thought to get one.

Slowly he began to sit up, and she quickly reached out to help him, adjusting his pillows so that he was comfortable before handing him the water. He waited for the sudden spell of nausea that had overcome him to pass before he swallowed the pill, washing it down with the cool water.

"Okay, now you lie back down and rest – I'll get dinner for later and you can eat when you feel hungry. There's a trashcan by the bed in case you need it."

With that, she left him be after placing a soft kiss on his forehead, gently shutting the door behind her so that he could have some peace, quiet and darkness.

* * *

Some hours later, he finally woke up again, now just feeling a dull ache in his head instead of the horrendous throbbing he had felt hours earlier. He very quickly realised he wouldn't be alone in his bedroom for long, hearing the pitter patter of small footsteps and then a head peering sheepishly through the door, letting in a small crack of light and illuminating the previously pitch-black room.

His daughter waited for him to smile at her before she came scurrying in and jumped up onto the bed, moving up close so that their noses were only inches apart. He could smell the fruity snacks on her breath, and was relieved that the smell didn't make him too nauseous, or at least didn't make him feel like he was going to throw up.

"Are you feeling better now daddy?" She asked quietly, whispering in a way that only a four-year-old can that doesn't really qualify as a whisper.

"Yes, Lily, yes I am." His voice came out slightly hoarser than he intended it to, probably from not having used it since that morning.

"Mommy said you were sick, what hurted?"

The way she looked into his eyes with such concern was quite possibly the cutest thing he had ever seen, and it melted his heart.

"My head, I had a really bad headache. But it's mostly better now."

She looked as though she was thinking deeply about something for a second, then she eventually decided to go for it and pushed herself up to kiss his forehead.

"All better now?" She asked, blushing slightly as she moved back down.

He smiled at her and told her that yes, it felt a lot better.

"I'm going to go and see mommy, do you want to come with me?" He asked, smiling at his little girl curled up next to him.

"She thinks I'm doing my spelling homework." She said, looking guiltily down at the sheets.

"Well, why don't you go and do that and I'll go to the kitchen, okay?"

She agreed and scurried off to her room, while Harvey took a breath before slowly lifting himself up. He was still a little worried that anything he did could provoke nausea. Once steady, he headed out of his dark haven and headed towards the kitchen to find Donna, stood cutting up some veggies for her and Lily, and preparing for him what appeared to be his favourite soup.

"Hey, you're up." She said, putting the knife down and heading over to embrace him.

"How was your day?" He asked as they pulled away.

He took a seat at the counter as she spoke and told him all about Rachel's weekend, which by the sounds of things had been rather entertaining and dramatic. He would have offered to help her, but he knew she would tell him to sit back down and stop being ridiculous.

"Seriously, how are you feeling? All better?"

"I'll be fine in the morning, I think I just need to rest a bit, things have been pretty hectic recently and I think the stress of it was starting to catch up with me."

She nodded in understanding and carried on preparing the food.

"Our daughter is quite the nurse." He added, "She came in and was trying to make me feel better."

"Was she really?"

As soon as she heard them talking about her, Lily came running in and in one smooth move, Harvey lifted her up onto his lap, trying to avoid the ginger hair that she tossed around as she fidgeted on top of him, adding her own input to their conversation, making both Harvey and Donna chuckle as they looked at their daughter, and then back at each other, both finding it hard to believe how lucky they were.


End file.
